Sure, we tune in for the fights at the end of each episode, the trash-talk between the coaches, and Dana White occasionally showing up to kick somebody’s ass out of the house. But over 12 seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, it’s the peripheral characters that are responsible for the show’s best moments. Take this season, for example — would it be nearly as interesting if Coach GSP didn’t bring in a special guest every week to shake up his team? With that in mind, here’s our tribute to the under-appreciated minor players that have kept TUF on its toes for the last six years…

In an effort to inject some eye candy into their new reality show, the UFC cast model/singer/actress Willa Ford as the host of The Ultimate Fighter‘s first season. (Her main duty was to introduce those weird elimination challenges that marked the show’s early days.) Willa was gone by season two, leaving us with fond memories of a time when TUF‘s non-stop sweaty dudeness was occasionally broken up by a pretty face.

Tiki hasn’t been heard from since, suggesting that Arianny‘s pictorial may have literally killed him. You know what this means? The issue is out there, people. It exists, and it’s available for purchase. Potato Nation Street Team, ASSEMBLE! We need you guys to check every convenience store, bookstore, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse, and doghouse in your area until you find this issue. You will then purchase it, scan the photos from Arianny Celeste’s pictorial, and send them to contest@cagepotato.com so that we can post them here. We will reward your efforts to the best of our ability.

A bit of a slow weekend for those of us out there with more refined tastes, as the K-1 World Grand Prix 2010 Final 16 pretty much dominated the scene. If striking is your bag, you’ll probably dig the video after the jump of some guy named Gago Drago knocking out some guy named Su Hawn Lee at that event. Pretty good scrap, there. On the MMA front, reports are all but confirming Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader will happen early next year and that after UFC 125 Antonio McKee might have to go to church and pray for the eternal soul of Jacob Volkmann.

Also after the jump, one more K-1 knockout, a short clip of Tim Hague handling Travis Wiuff at AMMA 5 north of the border, Arianny Celeste talks to an extremely creepy-voiced dude from MMA Digest, Evan Dunham shows off his scars and — in honor of his signing — a quick flashback to some of McKee’s best work.

The UFC released the latest episode of its Ultimate Insider series today featuring some behind the scenes footage of UFC 119 and an exclusive interview with light heavyweight champion, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Our man Jason "J-Dog" Wright was hard at it again tonight getting us some great shots of today’s UFC 119 weigh-ins. If his photos so far are any indication we can expect some incredible stuff from tonight’s show.

The video above is the first episode of the Joe Rogan and Arianny Celeste hosted show, which although it doesn’t have the obvious feel of an infomercial that MMAAthletics (which, not by coincidence, shares its name with a Couture-Glazer P90-X-like fitness program) is a pretty slick little production overall.